The present invention relates to a process for the partial oxidation, in a Claus furnace, of a gas stream comprising hydrogen sulphide and ammonia by reaction with a stream of a gas rich in oxygen.
Gas streams enriched with hydrogen sulphide are wastes produced by numerous industries, in particular the oil refining industry and the natural gas production industry. For reasons related in particular to the environment, these gases rich in hydrogen sulphide cannot be released as they are into the atmosphere. It is therefore necessary to treat them for the purpose of significantly reducing their hydrogen sulphide content. A well known process for treating these gases rich in hydrogen sulphide is the modified Claus process, commonly referred to as the Claus process. This process comprises a thermal part and a catalytic part. Two main reactions are carried out in the thermal part. The first reaction consists in reacting a portion of the hydrogen sulphide with oxygen in order to produce water and sulphur dioxide in the following way:H2S+{fraction (3/2 )}O2→H2O+SO2 